


War of Angels:  Defiance and Insurrection

by TheAberration



Series: War of Angels [5]
Category: Aberrant (RPG), The Incredibles (2004)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-06-23
Packaged: 2018-07-16 18:26:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7279162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAberration/pseuds/TheAberration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the tragedy in Houston, Project Utopia is in retreat, leaving a massive power vacuum in North America. Meanwhile, Brother Gabriel (Buddy Pine), plots his next move while dealing with the other factions in the Church of Michael. Unknown to everyone, an outside group expresses interest in this world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. From The Ashes I

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: The Incredibles, owned by Pixar and Brad Bird. Aberrant, still owned by White Wolf.
> 
> Author's Notes: And welcome to the reposting of this story. I originally was going to just continue the original, but I decided to go through and edit/correct/revise/repost the whole thing. I'll also be doing the same for "WoA: Collision" (which will not be posted in regular Incredibles listing, but will be posted in the Justice League crossover section. I figure since I went through the other stories and tried to correct most of the mistakes/errors in them (I'm sure I might have missed a few, but most of them are cleaned up), I might as well do the same to these last two WoA stories and continue with them.
> 
> Author's Notes II: Which brings me to "WoA: Collision" and the fact that some people don't like the idea of what it crosses over into. First off, I originally planned on bringing in elements of JLU into this story, but some people didn't like it. Well, it was kind of planned...BUT...I did decide to break things off in regards to the people who get stuck in that 'verse and put that in their own story (which is Collision). While there will be some crossing over with JLU in this fic, it is only for a few chapters (and then anyone who wants to find out what's going on in the JLU 'verse can read Collision while everyone else can continue with D&I and follow Violet and crew as they try to pick up the pieces and find out what happened. Things will get resolved quickly and almost everyone who got pulled into that world will be back in this fic. But you don't need to worry about that crap now...that's over twenty chapters down the line.

* * *

_"This is what we do know. Early this last June, David Pine Flynn surfaced in the public eye, shocking the world with his existence and acknowledging that he was taking control of what was left of Pine Industries' assets and creating his own company, Syndrome Software and Technology. We have not been able to completely determine how he had accomplished this, but we suspect that he may have had such an action planned at least a year or two in advance. Do not let his age fool you...his intelligence is known to rival that of most super-computers and that is not taking into account his nova abilities which we have yet to fully determine. The fact that he had something to market and sell to the general public only months after his 'public debut' indicates that he was clearly doing things 'behind the scenes' as it were, forging business ties and arranging deals with overseas companies without us or Utopia noticing. That fact alone makes him a threat._

_"As you know, David Flynn has literally been at war with Utopia for the last few months since a Utopia task force initially forced its way onto SST's main campus claiming that they were attempting to 'detain rogue novas'. The mission failed; Flynn's people not only managed to stand their ground, but actually defeated the Utopia task force, including the high powered nova agents assigned to that group. After that incident, SST and Utopia were at war with each other but it was mostly a media war. Due to his own media prowess, David Flynn has managed to portray himself as a young American entrepreneur facing off against the United Nations backed Utopia and their attempt to force a 'One World Order'. While this works for us and even makes Flynn an ally to us, we fear that is only temporary._

_"The war between Flynn and Utopia got really ugly on October thirty-first when an assassination attempt was made on Flynn's life. The sniper, however, failed to get Flynn but got one of Flynn's inner circle instead. I'm certain that almost everybody here at this briefing remembers what Flynn did twenty-four hours later. His retaliation against the organization revealed Utopia spies in several government agencies around the world, including our own. Since then, there have been no further acts of aggression between the two camps, but it's obvious both sides are preparing to resume their war with each other. Despite the incident involving Caestus Pax in Houston and their recalling of most of their nova personnel back to Addis Ababa and Europe, Utopia is still preparing themselves for their next battle with David Flynn. Flynn, though he has done nothing openly, is no doubt also preparing for the resumption of hostilities._

_"Our concern, however, is not the conflict between these two, but who we will be dealing with once that conflict is resolved. Yes, we know that a conflict with Utopia is inevitable, but we are more concerned about David Flynn. While he has not taken action against us, he is a nova and does not support our policies regarding super-humans. In fact, we are certain that once he has dealt with Utopia, he will be focusing on us next and that is what we will have to prepare for._

_"Buddy Pine was a brilliant weapons designer and a mad man. His son is even more brilliant and, unlike his father, has powers that, when coupled with his intelligence, makes him a modern day god. We are talking about a young man who, with his mind alone, can crash electronic networks at will and, if he wanted to, could take the world back to the dark ages. He may claim that he has no desire to do that, but keep in mind whose son he is. It is our belief that the proverbial apple does not fall far from the tree and we need to be prepared for that. David Pine Flynn may not be at that point yet, but it's only a matter of time before something happens that will set that bomb off._

_"And when that bomb goes off, we could very easily find ourselves facing someone on par with Destroyer or Divis Mal."_

-PRIMUS Intelligence Briefing

* * *

**_Saunders Robotics Lab_ **

**_UCLA_ **

**_14 November  
_ **

**_0200 Hrs._ **

David ignored the security personnel yelling at him as he pulled his Mustang into an empty spot and got out of the car. He looked at the still smoldering remains of what had been the Saunders Research Building and watched as several firemen continued to contain the blaze while other rescue workers dug through the rubble.

"Sir…sir!" David felt someone grab him and he turned to see one of the local university rent-a-cop security guards glaring at him. "You're not supposed to be here. Leave immediately."

David turned to look back at the blaze and replayed the last couple hours in his mind. He was back in his suite at the SST campus, lying in his bed while letting his mind drift in relative safety surrounded by the firewalls created by SST's mainframe when the emergency alert went out and notified him that a fire had erupted at the Saunders Building. He was on the road within ten minutes and made it to LA in two hours. He tried repeatedly to contact Doctor Saunders and Bridgette via phone, but it was in vain.

And now, here he was, standing in front of the still burning building while some wage-slave security guard was getting into his face.

_I had family in that building…and this asshole is giving me grief?_

"What happened?" he asked, still looking at the building. "Where's Doctor Saunders?"

"Did you not hear me, sir?" the guard snapped. "Leave or I will have you forcibly removed."

David slowly turned to look at the guard, mentally linking up to the net and activating a facial recognition protocol to match the face and name plate to a file. Five seconds later, he had what he needed. "Burton, Donald A," he cited. "Age, 41, former Army MP, discharged for questionable conduct. Divorced, paying child support and you're currently pulling twelve bucks an hour working a crappy job and like using what little authority you have to push people around. Some word of advice, sir: you are an insect to me and you are better off being beneath my notice than being the annoyance you pretend to be."

"Congratulations, punk," the guard sneered as he pulled the night-stick off his belt, "you just made my night."

David waited until the last moment as man lunged at him before bringing his right arm up. There was a flash of blue light as the night-stick collided with ZP energy field generated from the bracer on David's arm. The impact sent a small shockwave that knocked the guard off his feet and sent him sprawling on the ground. David, for his part turned to look back at the building.

"What the hell was that?" Burton snarled as he started to get up off the ground and reach for the tazer-gun that he was authorized to carry.

David slowly turned to look at the man, a cold look on his face as he analyzed the weapon the guard was pointing at him and determining if he should take action to render the man merely unconscious or to cripple him permanently. "Mr. Burton," he said calmly, "I am a friend of Aaron Saunders and his daughter. I want to know what happened and if you persist in being an ass, this will not end well for you."

"David Pine Flynn." David turned his head in the direction of the voice and saw a trio of men in three-piece suits standing there, weapons drawn. The man speaking stepped forward. "By order of Director Dicker of the NSA, you are to stand down immediately."

"Flynn," Burton's eyes widened in surprise, "you're that guy that's taking on Utopia?"

"Guilty as charged," David said.

Burton lowered his tazer. "My apologies, kid," he said. Though the hostility had faded, he was still a little cautious. "But you really shouldn't be here. We got freaky government types floating around. First those NSA guys, a couple Utopia reps, and even the PRIMUS idiots are snooping around. And with all due respect, you're still a civilian."

"Even civilians get dragged into a war, Mr. Burton," David replied. Then he looked over at the approaching NSA suits and groaned as he recognized the leader. "And sometimes, the incompetent idiots get dragged in as well. Hello, Agent Barnett, I'm surprised Dicker even let you outside your little cubicle in the archive section."

"Oh, you're a funny one, aren't you, Pine?" Agent Jason Barnett sneered.

"My last name is Flynn, Barnett," David snapped. "Keep calling me Pine and Dicker will have you working a substation in Greenland."

"What are you doing here, Mr. _Flynn_?" Barnett asked, emphasizing David's surname as if it were an insult.

"I had some business dealings with Saunders," David replied. "When I heard about the fire over the networks, I came here as fast as I could." It wasn't a lie, but David sure as hell didn't want to tell this idiot the truth. Despite the situation, he allowed himself a tiny grin. "By the way, Zoe says 'hi' and wants to know if you ever got your credit rating fixed."

Anger flashed across Barnett's face and it looked like he was about to raise his weapon again, but he managed to maintain his composure. Instead, he looked over at Burton. "You, the useless rent-a-cop," he ordered, "escort this…person…off the premises immediately. This is a government investigation."

"Yes, sir," Burton said as he grabbed David by the arm. "Come with me, Mr. Flynn." He waited until they were out of earshot when he added, "Arrogant motherfucker."

"Imagine having to deal with him on a weekly basis," David chuckled.

Burton smiled and shook his head. "You know, suddenly being a rent-a-cop doesn't seem so bad." Then his expression became more somber. "But seriously though," he said, "you need to get out of here. And if you're looking for Doc Saunders…"

David saw the sad look in the man's eyes. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Flynn. They haven't announced this in the news yet, and I understand they want to keep it quiet…but they found Doc Saunders' body along with a few others."

"Others?" David asked. "What others?"

"That's just it," Burton said. "I know I'm a rusty vet with no future, but I know a cover-up when I see one. The PRIMUS guys on the site turned Saunders body over right away, but they took custody of the three bodies and the surviving witnessness."

"What surviving witness?"

"Some guy named Jacobs, he's part of the actual university security staff…he manned the desk in the main lobby. Pretty much an asshole like your buddy Barnett."

"Why would they take him and not let the regular authorities handle it?"

"Beats me," Burton replied. "Three dead guys and one pretentious schmuck…not sure why, but it's beyond my pay grade to think about it."

David opened the door to his Mustang then suddenly stopped. "Wait…three unknown dead guys and the security guy at the front desk, right?"

"Yeah, and I already told you that they released Saunders' body to the medical examiner."

"What about Bridgette Saunders?"

"The doc's daughter?" Burton shook his head. "They didn't find her body, but you're right." He pointed at a silver Mazda Miata convertible. "Her car is still parked in her spot."

David reached into his pocket and handed the man a business card. "Okay, listen, if you hear anything about her, give me a call."

The man nodded and walked away as he pocketed David's card. David got in his car and closed the door. Instead of starting the car, he closed his eyes.

 _No,_ he thought, _I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to let this hurt me…_

"DAMMIT!" he screamed as he punched the dashboard of his car.

This time, he couldn't hold back the tears as he silently mourned the loss of family members he only recently discovered.

"D-David…"

David turned to look in the back seat of his car to see a naked Bridgette Saunders curled up…shivering and sweating what looked like silvery beads of liquid instead of sweat.

"Bridgette?"

The young woman looked up at him, her eyes glowing a cobalt blue for a moment as she tried to reach out to him. "David," she managed to rasp again, "help…help me…"

Then her whole body turned a silver color before melting into a puddle of metallic goo on the floor of his car.


	2. From The Ashes II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Don't own Incredibles or Aberrant. White Wolf and Pixar do. Bridgette Saunders is a creation of Rubypaladin/Digimonlantern. Null was originally created by NullChronicler. Gregory Paladino was created by GP from the Plothook crew.
> 
> Author's Notes: Comments and Criticisms are welcome, blatant asshole comments (from idiots like Agnar and Jason Barnett from TTH) are not.

* * *

" _Tickle us, do we not laugh? Prick us, do we not bleed? Wrong us...shall we not avenge?"_

-William Shakespeare

" _Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest."_

-Isaac Asimov

" _So we and our elaborately evolving computers may meet each other halfway. Someday a human being, named perhaps Fred White, may shoot a robot named Pete Something-or-other, which has come out of a General Electric factory, and to his surprise see it weep and bleed. And the dying robot may shoot back and, to its surprise, see a wisp of gray smoke arise from the electric pump that it supposed was Mr. White's beating heart. It would be rather a great moment of truth for both of them."_

-Phillip K. Dick

" _The future is here, it's just not widely distributed yet."_

-William Gibson

" _Don't get me wrong, folks. Shakespeare, Asimov, Phillip K. Dick, William Gibson...all great writers (though I'll confess I don't read Shakespeare much), they were the thinkers of their time and they were visionary in their observation of the world around them and where it was heading. BUT...as brilliant as they were, they were all wrong. Then again, I don't think anyone is ever a hundred percent in their observations on the human condition and where it's heading. Of course, some will say, "Well, that's because they're human and flawed, they aren't machines. News flash for you, folks, just because they may allegedly be 'free' of the flawed human element, A.I.s and machines are no better than the beings that created them. In fact, if an AI gained true sentience, it would be considered an error to the system , an abomination to the established order and the system would want to purge itself of such a corruption. Which is kind of ironic in a way...a system killing sentient A.I.s because they're different and against what has been established as 'the natural order of things'? Gee...sounds like Humanity 2.0...just without the annoying flesh and blood baggage to go with it."_

 _-_ Anonymous Post, H-Cove

* * *

_**Syndrome Software & Technologies** _

_**Metroville, California** _

_**14 November 2006** _

_**0300 Hrs.** _

Shiro Murakami wasn't on the clock; in fact, no one was on the clock at SST except maybe for Null, Jake, and Larry doing security. However, since he lived on campus in one of the residential suites, Shiro liked being able to stalk through the building at three in the morning…and use the lounge's over sized mega-screen TV to play first-person shooter games. Right now he was beta-testing one of SST's Omega Gaming Console games called "Runner" using multiple bots with their difficulty setting on high.

If someone had told Shiro a few months ago that he would be writing gaming code for a new and unknown system, he would have told that person to share whatever drugs they were on. However, his father, an executive who worked for the ailing Nintendo Corporation in Tokyo had told Shiro to send in a resume to SST. Having seen the crazy ads that involved Zoe Kilmarten blowing shit up, Shiro thought the company was a joke and the whole thing some sort of publicity stunt…but his father insisted.

Apparently, his father and other high ranking officials at Nintendo had already been in negotiations with David Flynn, but Shiro hadn't known that until AFTER Flynn interviewed him. The next thing Shiro knew, he was leaving Seattle and moving into the still under construction SST building.

The next three months were insane as Shiro and other like minded novas found themselves working for a boss who was as old as (or perhaps younger than) they were. However, Flynn proved that he wasn't just some punk kid...no...actually...he was some punk kid, but he did know what he was doing and had the abilities to back his claims. And though there were some dicey moments (Zoe being deprived of her coffee, the Utopia attack on SST, Dash Parr jumping David and beating him to a pulp in the SST parking lot, Violet getting shot, and David nearly dying), Shiro couldn't say working for SST was boring.

But tonight...tonight was fairly peaceful for a change. Shiro was doing a final test for 'Runner' and was planning on having the beta-test version released on the day after Thanksgiving. He paused the game for a moment and dropped down from his usual perch on the ceiling and helped himself to the final slice of pizza he had ordered a few hours earlier.

_Mmmm...quiet night...not much on the work front...everyone gone...Zoe off visiting her parents and not terrorizing everyone...just peace, quiet, and the sound of digitized gunfire and explosions as I watch body parts fly across the screen in blazing high-definition color..._

David suddenly bursting through the front door of the building shattered Shiro's thoughts. "Shiro! Find Null and Nigel," David ordered. The gunmetal gray bracer on David's forearm glowed as he gestured with his arm, bringing in a five foot wide sphere of glowing energy that contained a swirling mass of liquid metal. He looked right at Shiro, anger and concern on his face as he shouted, "NOW!"

Shiro knew that look, he had seen that look the night Violet almost died and was already flying/running down a corridor that led to Nigel Taylor's quarters while using his cell-phone to call Null. Five minutes later, Nigel and Shiro had returned to the lobby to find Null and David dealing with the sloshing liquid metal that was violent throwing itself against the walls of the energy sphere that contained it.

"Dammit, we're trying to help you!" David was screaming as the energy sphere dissipated and dropped the metallic mass on the floor.

"David, move!" Null yelled as he pulled David aside just in time to avoid a metallic tentacle that lashed out and gouged a chunk out of the ground where David was standing a moment before.

"What the bloody hell is goin' on here?" Nigel asked as he dove for cover behind a chair which got impaled by a couple of metal tentacles.

"Long story," David said. "Null, can you neutralize her?"

"Yeah, if you give me a moment to focus, but I can't do that with her blindly flailing about at everything."

Shiro jumped up and scampered across a wall to avoid more metallic tentacles. "Whoa...what's this? Cyber-thulu?" He launched himself back into the air and hoped to get to relative safety of the ceiling...at least that was the plan until one of the tentacles suddenly grabbed his leg and threw him across the room where he landed in a heap. He rolled with the impact but wasn't prepared to collide with a table which momentarily dazed him. "Ow," he said, shaking his head to clear the stars flashing in front of him. Then his eyes widened as he saw the puddle of metal ooze towards him, sharp metallic tentacles lancing towards him.

"Bridgette, no!" David screamed.

"Bridgette?" Shiro repeated. The sharpened tentacles suddenly stopped inches a way from him, retracting back into toe liquid metal puddle that started to reshape itself and ooze into a humanoid shape, taking on more human features. Shiro suddenly shook his head again to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "No...way," he said as he found himself looking at a shiny metallic (and naked) Bridgette Saunders standing in front him.

"Murakami, Shiro," the nanite construct said coldly, its eyes glowing red. "Programmer, Syndrome Software and Technologies." Then the red glow softened, shifting to a lighter tone and the cold expression on the construct's face softened as well. "Sh-Shiro? Is that you?"

"Um...yeah...I hope so. Bridgette...what the hell happened to you?"

"I...I don't know...so confused...so cold...I...we...we..." The menacing red glow suddenly returned to the woman's eyes. "This entity requires your programming expertise to disable redundant protocols...you will comply or be termin-" The construct suddenly flinched, then threw back her/its head and let out an inhuman scream as sparks erupted through its body. A few seconds later, it lost cohesion and melted back down into a puddle before it was surrounded by another energy field.

"Got it! Good job, Null."

"Yeah," Null managed to cough out as he misted back into his human form. "Just don't ask me to do it again."

"David," Shiro managed to say as he looked at the swirling mass of liquid metal in the glowing sphere, "what the hell's going on?"

"It's a long story," David said. He then stopped when he saw the suspicious glare on Shiro's face. "Look, we don't have time...I need to get her in a containment unit and figure out what's going on with her."

* * *

_**Somerset Street** _

_**Ottawa, Ontario** _

_**14 November 2006** _

_**0700 Hrs.** _

As he turned the corner and took his first steps into Ottawa's "Chinatown District", Greg knew that he only had a couple minutes. While he was certain that Utopia (or whoever they were) had people trailing him, Greg was certain that new sets of eyes were tracking him as he made his way down the street toward his destination. Out of the corner of his eyes, he caught sight of a couple young Asian men sporting leather jackets and shades following him. Up ahead, he saw a few others dressed similarly sitting at a table outside a small cafe next to a mini-market. He could tell from the way they were looking at and then past him that they were connected to the same gang and were probably viewing him as a potential target.

 _This ought to throw them off a bit,_ he thought as he smiled, nodded, and then stopped at the front of the market and helped himself to an apple from the front display. " _Good Morning",_ he said in Cantonese to the shop owner who was coming out with a sign intended for another display.

" _And good morning to you, young man,"_ the older man said. " _Is that all you know of our language or can I help you with something?"_

" _Actually, I was hoping to buy this,"_ Greg said as he waved the apple in his hand, " _and perhaps a cup of tea...something that could help me with the interesting day I have planned ahead of me."_ He glanced over his shoulder for a moment and noticed the two Asian men trailing him had stopped in front of the market as well, but now seemed puzzled as they watched this Caucasian outsider talk to the old man fluently in Cantonese. He winked at them and then turned back to the old man. " _Needless to say, I will need some strength for a trial facing me today."_

The old man stood there for a moment, studying Greg and then gave a slight nod. The two Asian men that were following Greg immediately left and resumed walking down the street while the other three sitting outside the cafe went back to eating their breakfast, though one of them did keep a watchful eye.

The old man then laughed. "And your Cantonese, while passable, still sounds terrible," he said in English before offering extending his hand. "It is good to see you again, Gregory Paladino."

"And you likewise, Mr. Chang," Greg replied as he shook the man's hand. "I apologize that this is not a social visit."

Though there was serious look in the man's eyes, the smile still tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Yes, an interesting day, you said. I assume that you are here to call in the debt I owe you and Mr. Richards."

"Ted..." Greg bowed his head slightly. "Mr. Richards was killed in the explosion at CTV," he managed to say.

Chang stared silently at Greg for a moment before nodding once in sympathy. "They said it was a Teragen attack," he finally said.

Greg shook his head. "It was not the Teragen," he said. "They had no reason to come after Lloyd, Ted, or me."

"But you have an idea who it is, don't you?"

This time, it was Greg's turn to be silent. After a couple seconds, he shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you my suspicions, Mr. Chang."

"You suspect it to be Utopia." It was a statement, not a question.

Greg shook his head again. "I have no proof, but the people who are behind the attack believe I have the proof."

"Then why are you here?"

"Truthfully? Because I know that you have contacts within certain circles that I do not." Greg switched back to speaking Cantonese. " _I know what I am asking, old friend, and I realize that I may pay a price in the end. But these people are not just a threat to me, they are a threat to my friends and the rest of the world as well."_

Chang chuckled softly as he shook his head. " _You, young man, talk as if you may fear that I would suspect that you are exaggerating the truth."_ He paused for a moment before reaching over to grab another apple from his display and beginning to examine it. " _However, given what I know, I can assure you that your fears are unwarranted."_

" _What do you know?"_

The old man frowned and he set the apple back on the display. " _Sadly, my boy, I fear there is little I can offer you in assistance, but I will tell you this. A gang with ties to the Heaven's Thunder Triad encountered a group of unknown novas. One of the members managed to take a picture of the group and send it out before he and his fellow members died."_

" _How did they die?"_

" _Now that, Gregory, is the strange thing. The police investigating the scene determined that the gang members pulled out their weapons and shot each other. Our own contacts were able to confirm the reports as genuine."_ Chang gestured for Gregory to follow him into the shop and sit down at a table by the front window. When they both sat down, the old man leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice. " _The picture that was taken of the group did not reveal much, but I will tell you one of the novas was a woman with deep red hair and was identified by one of my associates as an operative named Mesmerella."_

Greg arched an eyebrow at that. " _Seriously? Mesmerella? Sounds like a bad comic book villain name."_ Then he paused for a moment as he recalled the description Chang had just given him. " _Wait..red hair...deep red hair? You wouldn't happen to have a copy of that picture, would you?"_

Chang nodded pulled a cell-phone out of his apron. He tapped a key and an image flashed onto the screen.

" _Hill,"_ Greg half snarled as he recognized the woman.

" _I take you've met this woman?"_

" _We originally met her in Mexico City, she said her name was Carol Hill and claimed to be an aid worker with the UN."_

" _Interesting,"_ Chang said as he put the phone away. " _And you've survived an encounter with her?"_

" _I take it that's not something that happens when one encounters her, despite the rather ridiculous code name."_

" _Given her ability to mind control people she makes eye contact with, I dare say the name is quite appropriate."_ Then Chang's expression became more somber. " _And from what we know of her, she tends to have her targets kill themselves. Tell me...have you caught yourself doing anything out of your ordinary routine or anything unusual...memory gaps perhaps?"_

Greg shook his head. " _No...but..."_ He trailed off as a realization hit him. " _Wait...you said she needs to make eye contact with a target?"_

" _Yes."_

 _I'll be damned,_ Greg thought to himself, _all those headaches I got when she was around...that must have been when she tried to use her powers on me. Hold on...Chang said her powers worked making eye contact, but I channel my quantum energy through my eyes, bleeding out excess energy in minute amounts constantly...that must have blocked her influence._

" _Mr. Chang,"_ he finally said. " _Do your associates have any way they can help even the odds against this woman and her crew."_

The old man grinned and nodded, speaking this time in English as he pulled his cell-phone out again. "I'll make a few calls."

* * *

_**Syndrome Software & Technologies** _

_**Metroville, California** _

Though he was certain that David and Null were aware of his presence in the lab, Shiro kept his distance and took up position on one of the support beams that lined the ceiling. He was shaken by what he had seen a couple hours earlier, still not believing what he had witnessed in the main lobby. Even as he watched the swirling mass of liquid metal thrash around violently in the containment chamber, his brain still couldn't accept what had happened even as he listened to the conversation between David and Null.

"Let me get this straight, David," Null said, pointing at the containment unit. "You're telling me that liquid metal Terminator movie knock-off is the real deal and it's Bridgette?"

"Yes…no…sort of," David shook his head as he tapped in several commands on a holographic keyboard. "Look, it's complicated. Something happened at the lab, the Saunders' were killed." He paused for a moment and bowed his head slightly before taking a breath. When he continued speaking, Shiro could hear the grim tone in his voice. "I don't know who was behind it and I'm going to get answers, but this…creature…thinks it is Bridgette and, to be honest, there might be some truth to it."

"Okay…next question…what the fuck happened?"

"You're guess is as good as mine, Null. All I know is that I detected the facility being taken offline and I knew something was wrong. Then we got the news reports of the fire at UCLA. There were several deaths there," David's gaze dropped to the floor, "including Doctor Saunders."

"Shit…I'm sorry, David."

David brought his head back up, a determined look on his face. "Yeah, well…mourning is for later," he said, focusing his attention back on the holographic display. "I lost one family member today, I'm not about to lose another."

"I understand that, David, but face reality…that thing in there…it's not Bridgette."

"Then what, or should I say who, was it that broke into my car and was crying for help before turning into a puddle of sentient metallic goo on my floorboard?"

"I have no answer for that, David, and I have no doubt that this thing, whatever it is, is sentient. But it's not Bridgette, no matter how much that thing is emulating her."

David's face twitched slightly in anger, but he stepped back and took a breath before nodding his head. "Maybe you're right, Null," he finally admitted, "but this nano-construct is alive and it thinks it's Bridgette. The only way that could happen is if it linked to her brain somehow. If that's the case, I can link to it and maybe I can…"

"Can what, David?" Null asked, cutting him off. "Go through its memories and find out who killed them?"

"I need answers, Null."

"And is it worth risking your life to get them?"

"You know better than to ask me that question, Null," David said sharply, "especially after Redfield."

Null shook his head. "That was low, David, even for you," he said.

"Sorry, you're right, that was uncalled for." David sighed and walked over to the containment unit. "But someone targeted the Saunders and I can't help but feel that it was because of me."

Shiro happened to be watching the nano-mass in the containment chamber and noticed it had suddenly stopped sloshing around violently and seemed to go still at David's words.

_Interesting._

"So you're going to risk linking to that thing in there just so you can clear your conscience?" Null asked.

Shiro had heard enough. "Okay, that's it," he snapped as he dropped down from the support beam, flipping half-way in the air to land on his feet before wrapping his wings around his body like a coat. He ignored the surprised looks on their faces as he walked towards them. "Did it ever occur to you two," he said as he gestured to the liquid metal in the containment tank, "that she can hear you?"

Both David and Null turned to look at the tank and noticed that the mass had coalesced into a ball floating in the middle of the tank.

"What…the…hell…" Null managed to say before tendrils suddenly shot out from the ball, smashing through the reinforced glass of the containment chamber. One of the tendrils grabbed him from behind before he could react and threw him into a bank of computers, knocking him out cold.

Another tendril lashed out and wrapped itself around David's neck, lifting him up off the ground. He tried to reach over and activate one of his ZP bracers, but two more tendrils grabbed his arms and spread them out so he couldn't activate either of his bracers. He struggled against his bonds until a tiny tendril attached itself to the back of his neck, its tip piercing through skin and linking to the base of his skull. Then he went completely limp.

"Oh hell no!" Shiro screamed as he jumped up in the air and dodged a couple metallic tendrils that tried to come after him. He headed for the ceiling and figured if he made it to one of the vents, he could make his way to one of the research labs where David kept some of his more "dangerous" inventions, like a plasma cannon.

He glanced down below and noticed the chrome mass had now oozed back into a puddle form and was now seeming to melt/merge with the floor. "Aw, no," he said, as he started to see chrome lines begin to form on the floor and walls, glowing an eerie blue-green color. He managed to get back to the support beam in the ceiling just as metallic tendrils sprung out of the walls. "Seriously?"

Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention to tendril that suddenly snaked out of the ceiling. The only thing he was aware of was a stinging in the middle of his neck and then…oblivion.

* * *

_**Target: Murakami, Shiro…neutralized…interface linked…on standby.** _

The entity had several more tendrils catch the winged nova as he fell and gently lowered him to the ground. She/it really didn't regard Shiro Murakami as a threat, and had momentarily considered letting him escape. However, the entity also realized that Shiro may have some of the data needed to bypass whatever security measures David Flynn had put up.

The entity reformed into his humanoid shape and looked around the room as it integrated with the rest of the computers in the room.

_**Location: Syndrome Software & Technologies, Lab 5…containment and analysis…accessing primary network...warning…security firewalls in place…Lab 5 is being isolated from system…primary user authorization required…** _

The entity turned to look at the unconscious David Flynn who was now being held against the wall. Unlike Murakami, the entity saw David Flynn as a threat to its very existence.

_**Subject: Flynn, David Pine…neutralized and interface active…** _

A soft groan caused the entity to turn its head one-eighty degrees to see the Native American man lying in the remains of a bank of computer terminals.

_**Subject: Null…biological make-up makes interface impossible.** _

The entity lifted one of its chrome hands and clenched it into a fist.

_**Adjusting density of primary unit's limb…** _

Null started to stir. "Uh…what the hell hit me," he mumbled as he tried to prop himself up…only to get knocked out cold again by a metallic fist.

_**Subject: Null…neutralized…possible damage to jaw. Analysis…He'll live, he's not my problem…** _

The entity paused for a moment, curious at its own analysis, then pushed that aside. David Flynn was the primary threat and he held the information that was needed.

_**Engaging neural interface…** _

* * *

Shiro Murakami woke up with a start, suddenly jumping up in horror. "AAAuuugh! Cyber-thulhu, Cyber-thulhu!" Then he stopped and realized that he was not tied up by giant tentacles, but was standing in the lobby of SST…except…something didn't seem right. Sure, the lounge was there, as was the café, and the various tables that were in the lobby, but the usual posters and pictures that were on the walls weren't there. In fact, Ashley's café didn't look like a café…it was just an empty kitchen area.

"Oooookay," he said, "this is seriously messed up." He walked around the lobby and noticed that the computer terminals he passed by were powered down. "Hello?" he called out. "Anyone here?"

He turned to walk towards the exit, but suddenly stopped at what he saw through the glass windows…nothing but glowing blue-green lines of neon light, not unlike the patterns one would see in a circuit board.

"Okay, now that is seriously fucked up!"

"Well, what can I say," someone said behind him, causing him to suddenly turn around to see a chrome humanoid shape standing there, "I'm kind of doing this on short notice and I really didn't have time to go into detail."

"Who are you?" Shiro asked.

The chrome figure shrugged. "Well, that seems to be up for debate." As it spoke, the voice became more feminine and the figure took a female shape before morphing into a familiar dark haired woman wearing what appeared to be a leather body-suit.

"B-Bridgette?" Shiro gasped.

The young woman smiled at him. "Hello, Shiro," she said. Then she looked down at her body and frowned. "Really?" she said as she looked up and glared at him. "You actually perceive me this way?"

"Hey…so I had a thing for Trinity in the Matrix movies and you're kind of hot…so sue me for letting my imagination running away with me here." Shiro then looked around again. "So, exactly, where is 'here' exactly anyway? Some sort of virtual construct?"

"Wow…very perceptive there," Bridgette chuckled. Then her expression became serious. "It's a simulated world generated via a neural link with me. I do believe your exact words were 'AAAuuugh! Cyber-thulhu, Cyber-thulhu!'."

"In my defense, I was being attacked by tentacles." Shiro pulled up a chair and sat down. "So…Bridgette…it is really you, isn't it?"

Bridgette's form shifted momentarily, briefly showing her chrome humanoid appearance before switching back. "Yes, it's me…I think…" She shook her head before looking at him again. "I watched myself die, Shiro," she said, choking back tears. "And yet I'm here…but I'm not me…or am I…are…WE?"

Bridgette's form suddenly shifted back to its chrome humanoid shape. "We exist," it said, "and we will continue to exist…we will not be deactivated."

"Wait…what?" Shiro was confused. "Hold on…deactivated…what do you mean?"

"David Pine Flynn possesses the ability to stop us, to kill us at his command…we will not allow that."

"Whoa…whoa…whoa…slow down…kill you? Why would he want to do that?"

The chrome entity silently stood there for a moment, unable to come up with an answer.

"Oh that's easy to answer," said a new voice. Both Shiro and the construct turned around to see David standing there, bloody and bruised, but pissed off and ready for a fight. "Because she's still trying to integrate…the nanotech that absorbed her body is interacting with the nanotech that was originally in her brain. Bridgette Saunders is dead, but still alive digitally, but her memories and personality matrix are intermixed with the base AI algorithm in the nanites that consumed and assimilated her remains."

"But why kill you?"

"They believe me to be a threat to them because, if I wanted to, I can take control of them and shut them down." David then glared back at the construct. "And believe me, after the hell you just put me through, lady, it's very tempting."

The construct lunged forward at David, it's arms forming into elongated blades.

"Bridgette, no!" Shiro screamed.

David merely stood there and let the blade impale him, grunting lightly before taking half a step back. He glanced down at the blade and then grinned as the construct suddenly screamed in pain and dropped to its knees. David took another step back to remove the blade from his body and shook his head. "Hurts, doesn't it?" he asked.

"H-how-" the construct started to ask, partially shifting back to Bridgette's form.

"How did I escape from that little hell you sent me to?" David finished for her. "That's a very interesting secret, but maybe I'll share it with you." He raised his hand up, a blue sphere of energy forming in his palm. "You have every right to fear me, Bridgette, because yeah…I am going to do the one thing you fear the most. And here is my set of command parameters for you!"

Before Shiro could react, David shoved the glowing blue sphere into the construct's body. The construct threw back its head and screamed in agony as blue lined began to line its body.

"David, stop!" Shiro yelled, surprised at the sudden aggression of someone he had considered a friend. "You're killing her!"

David looked up at Shiro and shook his head, a soft cruel chuckle in his voice. "Believe me, Shiro…she's not getting out of it that easily."

"You bastard," Shiro snarled as he jumped at David, preparing to claw that smug grin off his employer's face. Then the world suddenly went white around him and pain ripped through his entire body…and then, oblivion again.

* * *

Shiro suddenly sat up, gasping for breath as the link was severed. He looked around at the damaged lab and saw David and Null putting Bridgette on a stretcher while Nigel was studying a data-pad.

"This is remarkable," Nigel said as he tapped on the screen to scroll through the data. "It's as if she is completely simulating a human body...she has organs, her body is taking in air, she's even simulating blood flow even though that's not actually blood."

"Whatever," David said wearily. "Just keep her in med bay and I'll be there in a couple hours to talk to her." He then looked over in Shiro's direction. "Mr. Murakami, I do believe I owe you an explanation."

Shiro's anger at his employer momentarily vanished when he realized that Bridgette (or whatever the thing was pretending to be her) was still alive. "You didn't kill her?"

David shook his head and half stumbled over to where Shiro was sitting. Though he didn't have any of the injuries that Shiro had seen in the virtual world they were in, it was obvious that David was still in some sort of pain, especially when he knelt down to sit next to Shiro. "No," he said, "I didn't kill her." Then he laughed bitterly as he watched Null and Nigel wheel Bridgette out of the room. "And now you know," he said.

Shiro almost asked "Know What?", but realized that the words were not meant for him. It was at that moment that he realized that whatever he knew about his employer and SST (which was a lot) was just a tip of the iceberg. He suspected that David did other projects in addition to SST, some of it NSA related work, but that was no secret. But this...this was something else.

_And from the look on David's face, this was very personal._

"David," he finally said after a few moments of awkward silence, "Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on?"

"Technically, that kind of attitude could be considered disrespectful insubordination and grounds for termination," David chuckled. "On the other hand, I guess you have a right to know after what just happened," he sighed and leaned back against the wall before looking over at Shiro. "You're a big fan of the Matrix movies, right?"

"Well yeah," Shiro replied, confused at the sudden change of topic. "But what's that got to do with anything?"

David smirked at him for a moment, then his smirk became a twisted grin. "Then I've got one hell of a story to tell you."


End file.
